Enjoy the French Connection with music in Eastwell village hall

Wild Willy Barrett’s French Connection are performing at Eastwell Village Hall on Saturday, May 14, with charismatic French singer, Aurora Colson.

From a cafe in Paris, via a hoolie in Dublin, to a night out in New Orleans with rip-roaring fiddle and banjo – this band does it all.

Known for her heartrending performances of French chansons and her wide jazz repertoire, Aurora is really spreading her wings with the wide variety of styles these unusual and original musicians bring to the table. From Bluegrass to acoustic blues, with haunting Irish melodies and a touch of Piaf thrown into the mix, the result is captivating.

At the heart of the ensemble are the indisputable talents of multi-instrumentalist Wild Willy Barrett, cellist Mary Holland and Irish pipes and whistle player John Devine, whose outstanding musicianship was recently rewarded by an invitation to play in the presence of The Queen at Buckingham Palace.

As John says, he was lucky to be able to take up the Royal invitation after nearly losing his historical, priceless and irreplaceable set of pipes, which had to be dramatically rescued when the boat on which he was living with his family sank in 2009.

“I ran to the boat to find the case completely submerged,” said John. “The pipes were left to dry gradually for almost two months in the hope that once re-assembled everything would be fine, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Extensive repairs had to be undertaken and they have only been fully restored to their former glory in the last two years.”

The concert will start at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced at £10 each, with a £1 booking fee online. Children aged 14 years and under go free. To book, visit http://www.wegottickets.com/

For more information about this exciting band, please visit the website at http://www.wildwillybarrett.com/